“He is on the board of a dozen community organizations.”Theodora was definitely fired up now.“He was given the key to the city.”
“Twice,” Atlas admitted.Not to brag.But, yeah, twice.He’d even led a parade in the city.Again, twice.
“How dare you suggest that Atlas has committed crimes for which some madman thinks he should be punished?That is your implication, yes?The killer is targeting those he believes are guilty, at least in his mind.And you suspect Atlas is guilty of something.”Theodora’s slender shoulders heaved.“Such a horrible insult to an upstanding citizen like Atlas.”
Gage didn’t appear particularly impressed or intimidated in the face of her outrage.Instead, he said, “Bryan Mathers.”
Well, well.
“Name ring a bell?”Gage prompted.“If not, let me help.He was your college roommate, Atlas.Sophomore year.”
Yes, he had been.Bryan had also been a spoiled prick who drank too much and partied far too hard.“Random roommate assignment.”Bryan had also been accused of rape by several girls on campus.But the charges had always been swept away.Mostly because Bryan’s own mother had been an associate dean at the university.
“Bryan OD’d in your dorm room.”Gage delivered that bit like it was a major news story.
“Yes, I am aware.”Atlas nodded.“I warned him to give up the drug use.He didn’t listen.Such a tragedy.”
Gage gaped at him.“The needle was shoved directly in his throat.I don’t know why the hell more of an investigation wasn’t conducted at the time, but people don’t usually inject full needles into theirneckslike that?—”
“Bryan thought he was invincible.He would try anything.Always told me that nothing could hurt him.”Nothing and no one.Bryan had been wrong.“If only I had been there that night, but, sadly, I’d already left the school.Two weeks before that, actually.I’d learned enough.”
Gage’s nostrils flared.“Landon Russell.”
Ah, another blast from the past.Gage had certainly been a busy Fed.
“He was a chemist who worked in your research division.”
Atlas laughed.He could feel Lily watching him, but he didn’t glance her way, not yet.He let the smile linger on his lips.“I have quite a few chemists who work for me.Quite a few research divisions, too.Gonna need you to be far more specific.”
“Landon cut corners.There was an accident in his lab.One man suffered third degree burns on half his body.That specific enough for you?”
Atlas tapped his chin.“I do recall Landon.If memory serves, he was fired immediately after that incident.”He glanced at Theodora.“I’m sure you could check with HR on that.I believe he may have experienced a drinking problem.We have a zero tolerance policy for drinking on the job.I believe we even referred him to a substance abuse program for treatment.”
“I remember him.”Theodora’s subdued response.“He refused treatment.”
“He was in an auto accident after his dismissal from the company,” Gage informed their group.“A mother and her son were killed in the car crash.He fled the scene on foot.”
Atlas unclenched his back teeth.“Terrible.”
“He was found dead, two months later.”
“Two months?”Atlas repeated, but he knew this information.“It certainly took the cops a while to find him.”
“He’d been dead the whole time.His remains—the bits left of him—were found about two miles from a popular hiking trail.”
“What does this have to do with my clients?”Theodora snapped.
“Two victims,” Gage fired back.“Those are two victims tied to Atlas Bennett.”
Atlas grimaced.“I am not an FBI agent.I have not gone to Quantico for training.I am not some behavioral expert, but…they are notmyvictims.Unless you are implying that I killed them?”Atlas waited.No response from Gage.So he asked, voice cool, “Is that what you’re saying?Are you accusing me of being a serial killer?”
Sharon put down her pen.“That’s only two victims.We really need three for the serial designation.”
“Thank you, Sharon,”Gage bit out.His glare remained on Atlas.“Benedict Swain thought there were more victims.Remember when I said he had a few physical files on you, Atlas?”
He tapped his chin.“I do remember you saying something about that.His computer was wiped, but some physical files were left in his desk.How incredibly convenient.”Files that point to me as being a killer.Lovely.
“I read through those files,” Gage told him.
